Cheerleader, 8, dies after she was tragically hit by a car while in a Fourth of July parade

July 2024 ยท 3 minute read

An 8-year-old cheerleader tragically died at a Fourth of July parade in Utah after the float she was riding in was hit by a Hummer. 

Macie Hill, of Layton, was participating in the parade with her Patriot Cheer All Stars dance team at 175 South Main in Kaysville, about 20 miles north of Salt Lake City, when she was struck by the vehicle. 

'Macie was full of life and showed joy and love to everyone,' a neighbor of the hill family, Jennie Dopp, wrote on a GoFundMe page dedicated to pay for the young girl's funeral expenses. 

'She loved cheering and Macie passed away doing what she loved, being with her team,' she added.   

Macie Hill, 8, was killed after being struck by a Hummer while participating in a Utah Fourth of July Parade. Hill is remembered as being 'the brightest little light'

Macie Hill, 8, was killed after being struck by a Hummer while participating in a Utah Fourth of July Parade. Hill is remembered as being 'the brightest little light'

Hill was riding in a float along the parade route with her cheer team when the incident occurred in Kaysville, about 20 miles north of Salt Lake City

Hill was riding in a float along the parade route with her cheer team when the incident occurred in Kaysville, about 20 miles north of Salt Lake City 

It's unclear whether the cheerleader was walking alongside the Hummer or if she fell off the parade float

It's unclear whether the cheerleader was walking alongside the Hummer or if she fell off the parade float

It's still unclear what exactly caused the deadly accident, but police immediately responded to the scene and announced the remainder of the parade was canceled due to a 'medical emergency' and asked spectators to 'calmly leave the area.'

Hill succumbed to her injuries at Layton Parkway Hospital.

A witness to the accident said she's 'in shock' and has 'never seen anything' like it before

A witness to the accident said she's 'in shock' and has 'never seen anything' like it before

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'I don't think people understood the seriousness of the situation at first,' parade attendee, Shawna Dennis, told Fox 13 News. 'I'm in shock, it was horrific, I've never seen anything like that in my life.'

Dennis was alongside the parade route when the incident occurred.

'I glared up and I see a little girl that was laying on the ground in that little dance company, and the trailer, the back of the trailer, just ran over the top of her,' Dennis said.

She recalled hearing a woman shouting at the driver of the vehicle to stop as she moved her children away from the scene. 

Police immediately called off the parade, urging spectators to 'calmly leave the area'

Police immediately called off the parade, urging spectators to 'calmly leave the area' 

The 8-year-old was the youngest of four, and the only daughter, in her family

The 8-year-old was the youngest of four, and the only daughter, in her family

Hill was the youngest in her family with three other siblings. As of Wednesday morning, more than $100,000 had been donated to the Hill family to that will go towards a headstone, medical facility charges, and counseling for the family members. 

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